Spring and air cushion



May 6, 1941. M. STUBNITZ SPRING AND AIR CUSHION Filed May 16, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR.

BY fizz 216v 2 /11/71? 6% v ATTORNEYS.

May 6, 1941. M. STUBNITZ SPRING AND AIR CUSHION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Filed May 16, 1936 W W e ATTORNEYS.

M. STUBNITZ 2,240,872

SPRING AND AIR CUSHION Filed May 16, 1936 May 6, 1941.

INVENTOR.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 jzzzz'ce 53/12/17 ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE SPRING AND AIR CUSHION Application May 16, 1936, Serial No. 80,148

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a spring and air cushion.

Spring and air cushions are broadly old. In this type of seat the outward flow of air ontrapped within the cushion is retarded so that it assists the cushioning action of the springs upon receiving a load. The inward flow of air in-- to the cushion is also retarded, which, to a certain extent, prevents excessive rebound of the springs when the load is removed.

It is the object of this invention to produce a spring and air cushion which is eflicient in operation, simple in structure, and in which the bottom frame closure can be partially or entirely replaced easily and without separating the springs from the cushion frame.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, with the trim partially removed, of the air and spring cushion.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections along the lines 2--2 and 33 respectively of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, with the trim partially removed, of a modified form of the air and spring cushion.

Fig. 5 is a section along the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing the connection between the bottom of the springs.

Referring more particularly to the drawings there is shown a cushion comprising a bottom frame I, coil springs 2, slats 3, padding 4 and covering 5. The cushion bottom frame I extends. completely around the cushion and in section is an inverted V. The outer peripheral edge of the bottom frame is turned inwardly as at 6 to form a bead. The inner wall 39 of the frame slopes inwardly and downwardly.

The slats 3 are secured at each end to the frame I. For this purpose each slat has its ends flared as at 'l. The flared end portion I is curved so that it seats neatly over the rounded edge of the frame I, as shown particularly in Fig. 2. A, pair of lugs 8 are struck out of each end of each slat and bent upwardly against the underside of the frame I. Thus, the lugs 8 with the flared end 'I securely clamp the slats 3 to the frame I.

In section, as shown in Fig. 3, the slats are in the form of an inverted V and have horizontal flanges 9 extending along the bottom edges. The flanges 9 serve as seats for the closure 6. The slats 3 are also provided with suitable perforations l0 through which the bottom ends of the coil springs 2 are threaded to secure the springs 2 to the slats 3. The springs 2 are secured together at their upper ends (by the Wires II and the border top frame I2. The top frame I2 is a continuous wire which is secured to each of the outer springs by the clips I3. The padding I, which is placed over the top of the springs 2, is of any suitable material, such as cotton batting. The seat cover 5 is made of any suitable trim material such as fabric or leather and after being drawn to the proper tautness has its lower edge secured to the beaded edge 6 of the bottom frame I at intervals by the removable spring clips I4, such as described in copending application of Daniel A. Greene, Serial No. 25,771, filed June 10, 1935.

It will be noted that the spaced parallel slats 3 divide the area within the bottom frame I into a plurality of rectangular openings I5. Each of these openings is closed with a closure I6. The closures I6 can be made from any suitable material such as cardboard, fiber-board, laminated paper, thin sheet wood, and the like. Each closure I6 should preferably be stiff enough to be self-supporting in the openings I5 and preferably sufliciently flexible so that it can be slid into and out of the openings I5, as shown in Fig. 2. The closures I6 are supported upon the flanges 9 of the adjacent parallel slats and are held in position by the bottom end portions ll of the springs. The spring load is supported entirely by the slats and not by the closures I6.

The assembly of the closures it to the spring cushion is preferably accomplished before the trimming 5 is secured to the frame I and is done simply by sliding the closures I6 lengthwise into position between the flanges 9 and the end portions ll of the springs as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The closures l6 may, if desired, have an airtight fit with the flanges 9 and with the inner wall 30 of frame I, but this is not essential because the main purpose of the closure I6 is to impede sufliciently the flow of air into the cushion and flow of entrapped air out of the cushion to obtain the desired bellows or air cushion action on the part of the entire cushion assembly.

The trim material 5 extends completely around the top and the four sides of the spring assembly and thus with the closure I6, frame I, and slats 3 forms a bellows or air cushion. If the closures I6 are approximately air-tight with the flanges 9 and the frame I, the entrapped air will escape through the openings Ill and, of course, gradually flow out through the trim material 5 if it is a porous fabric and not an airtight material such as leather. Normally the closures I6 will not have an air-tight fit with the seat I and frame 9 and consequently a certain amount of air will leak by the edges of the closures Hi.

If one or more of the closures it are damaged or destroyed, it can be very easily removed and replaced by another closure. This is accomplished by merely detaching the bottom edge of the trim 5 adjacent an end of the closure H5 which is to be removed or replaced, as indicated in Fig. 2, which gives one access to the inside of the cushion. While the portion of the trim adjacent the edge of the frame is detached, a

new closure can very readily be slipped in endwise between the flanges 9 and the bottom of the spring ll and the trimming again secured to the frame.

The spring and air cushion shown in Figs. 4, 5

and 6 is the same as that shown in the preceding figures except that the coil springs 2 come as a unit and do not have their lower ends threaded into the slats 3 as in the principal form of the invention.

In the modified form the springs 2 are connected at their lower ends by the members 43 wlr'ch comprise metal channel sections crimped as at Al on to the bottommost convolutions of the springs 2 as shown particularly in Fig. 6. The tops of the springs 2 are connected in the same manner as in the principal form of the invention by the wires I. Since, in the modified form, the springs 2 come as a unit connected at the top by the wires l! and at the bottom by the members 49, the unit is placed upon the slats 3 and secured thereto by the clip members 52. The closures iii are inserted between the slats 3 preferably before the spring unit is placed upon the slats. The closures US are held in place between the slats 3 by the lower ends of the coil springs 2 and the cross members 49. The closures it here, as in the principal form of the invention, do not carry any load.

I claim:

1. A spring and air cushion comprising a bottom frame, cross slats secured to the bottom frame and bridging the frame to form therewith a plurality of openings, a plurality of springs su ported at their bottom ends by the said cross slats, a cover enclosing the springs and secured to the bottom frame, support mean-s carried by said slats below the upper edge of the slats and also beneath and spaced from said coil springs, and a plurality of spaced independent closures positioned between and separated by the said slats for closing -18 said openings and supported by the said support means beneath the bottom ends of said springs.

2. A spring andair cushion comprising a bottom frame, cross slats secured to the said bottom frame and bridging the frame to form therewith a plurality of openings, a plurality of springs supported by the said slats, a cover for enclosing the said springs and secured to the bottom frame, a plurality of spaced closures positioned between and separated by the said slats and beneath the said springs for closing the said openings, and support means carried by and extending along the lower edges of the said slats beneath the said springs for supporting the said closures, the bottom portion of the said springs overlapping the edges of the said closures to retain them on their seats free of any load borne by the said springs.

3. A spring and air cushion comprising a bottom frame, a plurality of cross slats cooperating with the frame to form a plurality of independent openings between said cross slats, openings in the said slats, a plurality of springs having their bottom ends threaded through the said openings in the said slats and supported thereby, a cover for completely enclosing the springs and secured to the bottom frame throughout its length, support means carried by the said slats beneath, and spaced from, the bottom end portions of the said springs, and a plurality of closures for closing the said openings in said bottom frame, the said closures being slidable into position between the bottom of the springs and the said support means on the slats whereby the bottom of the springs retain the closures against vertical displacement but permit endwise sliding of the closures for removal or replacement purposes.

' 4. In a spring and air cushion, a bottom frame, cross slats secured to the frame and bridging the frame to form therewith a plurality of openings, a plurality of springs having their bottom ends connected to the said slats and supported thereby, a cover for enclosing the said springs and secured along its bottom edge to the said bottom frame, flanges on the said slats beneath the said springs, and a plurality of independent spaced closure members separated by the slats and supported by the said flange-s on the cross slats beneath the bottom of said springs whereby the bottom of said springs hold the said closures on the said seats against vertical displacement, and the said bottom frame extending above the said seats carried by said slats whereby the frame holds the closures against endwise displacement.

5. In a spring and air cushion, a bottom frame, cross slats secured to the frame and forming a plurality of openings between said cross slats, a plurality of springs having their bottom ends connected to the said slats and supported thereby, a cover for enclosing the said springs and secured along its bottom edge to the said bottom frame, flanges along the bottom edges of the said slats positioned beneath and spaced from the bottom ends of the said springs, and a plurality of independent closure members supported by the said flanges on the cross slats beneath the bottom of said springs whereby the bottom of said springs hold the said closures on the said flanges.

6. In a spring and air cushion, a bottom frame, cross slats secured to the frame and bridging the frame to form therewith a plurality of openings, a plurality of springs having their bottom ends connected to the said slats and supported thereby, a cover for enclosing the said springs and secured along its bottom edge to the said bottom frame, support means carried along the lower edges of the said slats beneath the said springs, a plurality of spaced independent flexible closure members separated by said slats and supported by the said support means on the cross slats beneath the bottom of said springs whereby the bottom of said springs holds the said flexible closures on the said seats against vertical displacement, and the said bottom frame having a face which slopes inwardly and downwardly toward the said support means on the said slats whereby the sloping faces of the frame hold the flexible closures removably against endwise displacement and the said flexible closures can be flexed and slid endwise over the sloping face of the said bottom frame to remove the same.

MAURICE S'I'U'BNITZ. 

